James Ramsey wants proper finish to FSU career before meeting Cards in St. Louis

5:43 p.m. EST, June 5, 2012|By Coley Harvey, Orlando Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE — One summer about nine or 10 years ago, a young James Ramsey found himself in the enviable position of patting the back of one of his boyhood baseball idols.

Little did young Ramsey know at the time, but the city that had once embraced former major leaguer Jim Edmonds with open arms might eventually do the same for him.

On Monday night, the kid who stood on old Busch Stadium’s scorching turf and confidently told Edmonds to “go get em today,” took one big, bold step toward turning a dream into reality.

During Monday’s first round of the MLB Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they were selecting the current Florida State senior captain with their 23rd overall pick. The move stunned some at baseball’s periphery who felt Ramsey’s talents were less deserving of the opening round. He wasn’t much perturbed by that chatter, though. What had once appeared to be a far off, unseen hope, had finally begun convincing the world that Ramsey would fulfill the purposeful calling he long believed he had.

He’s about to be a professional baseball player.

“The Cardinal Nation has already reached out to me and I’m excited about it,” Ramsey said during a news conference at FSU on Tuesday. “That’s the reason they picked me. Because I’m a winner and I’m a leader that’s very committed and passionate about what I want to do.”

To those who thought Ramsey was taken too soon, FSU coach Mike Martin had some choice words.

“I’m wanting everybody here to know that the guy got what he deserved,” Martin said, opening his news conference comments. “This guy worked extremely hard for four years to be the best he could be in the classroom, on the field, in the clubhouse.

“First guy in the history of the program to wear a ‘C’ on his chest. … it’s deserved.”

Although Ramsey remains encouraged and enthusiastic about his forthcoming move into the Cardinals’ farm system, he was adamant in saying his current commitments and passions rest with the Seminoles.

He’s so focused on his immediate future at FSU, that he dares not put even put on a bright red Cardinals baseball cap until the final out of his collegiate career is recorded.

“There’s a reason I’ve got a Florida State shirt on right now. There’s a reason that hat’s not on my head yet,” Ramsey said. “It’s because there’s so much left to do, and my teammates know my commitment to them.”

If all goes according to plan, Ramsey will be wearing garnet and gold for another three weeks.

This weekend, the Seminoles (46-15) are hosting Stanford (41-16) in a best-of-three Super Regional series in Tallahassee. Win it, they will reach the College World Series for the first time since Ramsey’s sophomore season.

Going for the Cardinal — not to be confused with the Cardinals — will be three pitchers who were all drafted in the first three rounds this week. One of them, Stanford pitcher and designated hitter Stephen Priscotty, was also claimed by St. Louis with the 36th overall pick. He and Ramsey played together in the Cape Cod League last summer.

“The Cape was huge,” Ramsey said. “I wasn’t going up there to prove anybody wrong. I wasn’t going up there to make a statement. I wasn’t necessarily against anyone. I was going up there intrinsically motivated knowing that was the step I needed to take for my career.”

While his career had already been trending upward, it took an even more dramatic climb this season. It was a season that almost didn’t happen. After being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round of last June’s draft, Ramsey decided last August to return to FSU. It was clearly the right choice.

“I told him when he was trying to make the decision, I told him just do it with no regrets,” Ramsey’s mom, Mary, said. “Even if you don’t have a great year, but it’ll still be OK to be there and just get your degree and finish up.”

Mom may have thought the decision was the right one, but not everyone did.

“I was called every name in the book. Fool, idiot, stupid. I’ll leave some of them out,” Ramsey said. “But ultimately, that’s going to happen in my career. That’s going to happen in all my walks of life; in my faith life. That’s something else that people kind of call me irrational about and crazy.”

Entering the Super Regional, Ramsey is hitting .385 and leads the team with 13 home runs. A former shortstop, he played right field last year before being moved to center field this season. There, he hasn’t committed an error.

“He didn’t come back and mope … he came back committed to being better the next year, and in so doing, he made those around him better,” Martin said.

Martin added that he believed Ramsey was a good ballplayer when he recruited him, but didn’t think he’d become a first-round talent.

“Ain’t no way I was going to project him to be a No. 1 (round) draft choice today. Ain’t no way,” Martin said. “But he made himself into what he is. All we did was give him the goods through facilities and encouragement. He did the rest. And that’s what college athletics is about.”

Ramsey spent draft Monday with family in Tallahassee. During the MLB Network’s live telecast of the event, he texted former teammate Sean Gilmartin — FSU’s last first-rounder, taken 28th overall by the Atlanta Braves last season — and current teammate Devon Travis.

Gilmartin was working the radar gun during a minor league game with the Mississippi Braves. Travis was with other teammates when the announcement was made. Quickly, they jumped into cars and rushed to Ramsey, honking their car horns loudly upon their arrival.